The evolution of a whore, media and otherwise

One would think that everything that can and, unfortunately will, be said about JeffGannonGuckertBulldog has already been said. And then one would be wrong.

Of course, he certainly isn't helping matters by whining in his not-going-to-give-him-any-hits blog and accepting invitations to real journalist/blogger events. If he continues to, ah, milk his 15 minutes, than we should continue to write about it. At least until the MSM and Joe Shmoe understand what the real issues are and what it all says about the state of journalism today. To most people that doesn't seem like a big issue, especially those who like Jeff haven't ever taken a class in journalism or media theory, but it is. I am not even going to get in to the importance of freedom of the press and it's legacy in this country. There are hundreds of people who've said it better.

The only reason I bring him up today, when I could be musing about all the people devastated by the death of a woman they don't know while thousands of people are dying in wars and of AIDS and domestic abuse, etc. etc. etc., is that I came across a link to a journal entry that really looked at the whole JimbobJeffcakes fiasco in a way that I hadn't read before.

Susie Bright makes some excellent points about the evolution of a prostitute and what that probably means about Mr. Guckert. She debunks the ideas that drive the media's insistence on calling his prostitution simply his past, alleged and all the other words the come up with because they can't stand the thought that an actual whore duped them for over two years.

It's not as if he sprung up from the ground a male-for-hot-sex-hire. There certainly has to be a history there. How did he start? How long has he been doing it? What's the connection between his dick and the White House? Still so many questions that go unanswered. She also works in some excellent points about Melhman and the legacy he is leaving as the straightest gay man to ever run the Republican party.

So if you think you've read everything about the story or you've never heard of what the hell I am talking about, head over to Susie's journal and read all about it. I guarantee it will get you thinking.

Props to twistedchick for the heads up!

Blogging and selling sex for money are not, in fact, the same thing

Because if they were, I'd be a lot richer and happier, thank you very much.

Seriously, if you haven't heard, Guckert/Gannon/Bulldog has been invited to the National Press Club to talk about being a "journalist" and a prostitute. Actually, no, he's been invited to talk about being a blogger, which is funny, because the last time I checked, he only started "blogging" two months ago. If that's the case, then a lot of us are expert bloggers to the extreme, if two months is all you need to become someone that get's invited to the big dance.

It's actually insulting, to tell you the truth. Not so much for me, because I am basically a parrot and a bitcher when it comes to the news. I do a lot of reading and talk about the stuff that really gets me. It's the other people, over on my list of must-reads that work their asses off getting facts and putting together some seriously excellent pieces on the state of the world today. The idea that some partisian hack/hooker would be included in that category is just beyond my comprehension.

Other people have said it better, but you get the point.

In response to this mockery of good blogging everywhere, The Agonist has put together a letter from the blogging community to the Press Club, letting them know how we feel about the situation and request that they add, you know, a real blogger, AMERICAblog's John Aravosis, to their panel. Someone needs to represent the people that actually broke the story that made that prostitute famous.

Unless, of course, all they care about is attention and anal sex for money, and then they've already accomplished their goal for the event.

Learning is hard. It's hard work.

Things I learned from The Poor Man today:

1. Apparently, running abortion clincs is very profitable! Champagne and cigars for all the baby killers, according to *shudder* Kaye Grogan. This is very much news for me. Which is funny, because I thought it was more profitable to sell the names of people who donated money to the Schiavo's to anti-abortion and conservative groups! Okay, that last bit I learned from World O'Crap

2. The Poor Man pretty much rules:

Well, I think Andrew Sullivan owes Paul Krugman an apology or fifty as well, and I think there’s going to be a lot of people defaulting on these sorts of debts. And it’s not really the important thing. Now that we realize that this is the party of Dennis Prager and Kaye Grogan, the important thing becomes not “what are you going to say to Sully the Pooh” but “what are you going to do.” Asking oneself “why do they keep playing me for a chump?” is a question that chumps are always asking themselves, a question which answers itself, chumps.

Yes, the Republican Party is primarily concerned with A) diminishing the government’s power over large corporations and the very rich, and B) pandering to a sizeable constituency who want to increase the government’s power over every other facet of American life, and over the rest of the world, in accordance with God’s Holy Bible, a book they have not read. Here is the platform of the Texas Republican Party, the party of Bush and DeLay, a platform which proposes to “dispel the “myth” of the separation of church and state”, oh, and eliminate the IRS, the ATF, the EPA, the DoE, HUD, HHS, Education, Commerce, Labor, and the Surgeon General, evict the UN, and teach Creationism in science classes, praise Jesus. That’s the Republican position - or at least the position of those Republicans currently in charge of the party - and it will remain the position of the party, like it or not, until such time as it stops winning elections. Until such time, in other words, as y’all stop acting surprised every time they do what they say they want to do, and stop supporting them.

However, one must note, in the interest of Kristofian non-partisan fairness, that none of this makes Michael Moore any slimmer.

However part 2, this makes him righter. Ah. Okay, I got that one from Hoffmania. But I am sure TPM already knew it!

Oh, and for the record? I like the new layout and that's a black cat and a pumpkin, morons.

If you can say something nice...

So, Dubya mentioned the school shootings, as promised, in his Sunday address.

This week we have seen tragedy at home. Families in Minnesota are mourning the loss of their loved ones after the terrible shootings at Red Lake High School. Hours after the shooting, communities and churches across the nation offered prayers for the victims and their families. The Red Lake Nation reports receiving thousands of calls from people all over the world offering their sympathy and support. Laura and I are praying for the families of the victims, as are millions of Americans.

We didn't have time to, you know, call or visit or anything. But we said a little prayer before we ate our bacon cheddar ranch BK sammiches. Boy, that dark feller with the guitar sho' can play a tune! Why, Hootie? WHY?!?!

Of course, since the only thing important issue in the nation right now is whether or not a brain-dead woman white woman should continue to live in a vegitative state or finally be allowed to die in peace, he did his best to shoehorn her in to his comments:

As we help the families in this community, we must do everything in our power to prevent tragedies like this from happening. Children benefit from a sense of community, and the support and involvement of caring adults. To keep our children safe and protected, we must continue to foster a culture that affirms life and provides love, and helps our young people build character. Emphasis mine

So, you know, guns don't kill people, activist judges do! And talking about people other than white Christians is really hard. It's hard work. So I can only do it for a second or two before I have to bring it back around to what pleases my small (and frankly insane, but don't tell 'em I said it!) group of fanatical Christian constituance. God Bless White Christian Americans and no one else! Amurica!

Props to Outside the Tent for the heads up. Heaven knows I don't read or listen to Dubya any more than I absolutely have to, so I appreciate the sacrifice. ;)